R6
R6 is a compound created by the Visitors used to track human beings. It's an injectable compound that embeds itself into human DNA and sends out a tracking signal detectable by the Visitors. The Visitors's developed and tested chemical before the Visitors revealed themselves. Storyline "It's Only the Beginning" (Season 1, Episode 4) Anna announces in a television interview that the Visitors have created a vitamin shot injection that strengthens the human immune system so it can fight cancer, diseases, and slow aging. However, when asked about the common cold, Anna responds with false modesty that "Your flu shots will have to suffice, I'm afraid that even we haven't cracked the common cold." She says the injection will be offered at their healing centers in the next few days. After the interview, Ryan suspects the vitamin injection is part of an earlier project developed by a Sleeper cells he had previously uncovered. Erica Evans, Ryan Nichols, and Jack Landry discover a warehouse used by the Visitors to develop and test R6. After discovering boxes of bottles of flu vaccine, they realize the vaccine is being used to expose humans to the R6 and that the Visitors plan to ship out to the general population the next day. Erica speculates that the Visitors intend to expose humans to the R6 through the contaminated bottles of flu vaccine, and the vitamin shot is harmless and merely a ploy to distract the public. Erica takes a bottle of R6 as evidence before the warehouse is destroyed to prevent the Visitors' plan from being carried out. Aboard the New York Mothership, Marcus reports to Anna that "the warehouse containing all the R6 compound has been lost...It's all been destroyed." "Welcome to the War" (Season 1, Episode 5) Ryan takes a sample of R6 recovered from the warehouse and bring it to fellow Fifth Column member Leah Pearlman for examination. As Father Jack is treated for a stab wounds at a Visitor Healing Centers, he looks over and he sees multiple bottles labled 'R6', he is injected with on the bottles, and he passes out. He later has a nightmare in he wakes up in the hospital and exclaims that "something is wrong with me. They injected me with R6, I can feel it inside of me." He looks at his body in the mirror and sees his skin turning scaly like a Visitor before waking out of his dream. Joshua reports to Annas that all samples of R6 that were hidden in the human flu vaccine were destroyed by the warehouse explosion. Anna ordered him to continue injecting R6 into humans coming into the healing centers. Later, when Ryan meets with Leah, she reveals that the results of her examination of R6. It appears under human technology to be nothing more than a saline shot, however using Visitor technology, she was able to discover its true nature. "R6 has a molecular compound that embeds itself in human DNA. It interacts with the human genome, then emits a wavelength of sorts like a transmission." Leah warns him to tell no one else of R6. Aboard the New York Mothership, Joshua asks "How are the candidates for the next phase of the R6 plan looking?" Images of humans float across Visitor displays, including Father Jack's image implying that he is now being tracked by the Visitors. "Pound of Flesh" (Season 1, Episode 6) Marcus announces the Vistors' live-aboard program, Father Jack suspects that it has to be related to R6 since participants are 'randomly selected' from the healing centers, where he saw the other bottles. "Heretic's Fork" (Season 1, Episode 9) As Leah Pearlman is examining Valerie, the doctor asks Valerie if she has been injected with anything at the healing center. After Valerie reveals that she was injected with a vitamin shot, Leah tells her "they injected you with R6. It allows them to track you. But don't worry, it won't harm you or the baby. R6 masks itself in humans as saline." Leah then injects Valerie with a chemical she created to block R6's ability to transmit by raising the body's PH levels. The body's high acidity levels then neutralize R6's tracking function, however it can take up to 24 hours to take effect. Leah's chemical proves successful as Marcus later reports to Anna that Valerie's R6 signal has been "completely lost." Plot Inconsistencies Delivery Method & Supply In "It's only the Beginning" (Season 1, Episode 4), the Visitors planned to expose humans to R6 by hiding it in flu vaccine, but the destruction of the warehouse purportedly destroyed all supplies of R6. After the warehouse is destroyed, Marcus reports to Anna "the warehouse containing'' all the R6 compound has been lost...It's all been destroyed." added. However, in the very next episode, "Welcome to the War" (Season 1, Episode 5), Father Jack is shown being injected with a bottle of R6 at a Visitor Healing Center, ''the very next day after the warehouse explosion. It's also revealed through Anna's discussion with Joshua that although the warehouse explosion destroyed supplies of R6-contaminated flu vaccines, it's still available in the healing centers. Likewise, in "Heretic's Fork" (Season 1, Episode 9), after Valerie discloses that she has been given a vitamin injection at a Visitor Healing Center, Leah tells her that the Visitors have actually given her R6. This later confirmed when Marcus reports to Anna that Valerie can no longer be tracked because her signal has been "completely lost" due to Leah's counter agent. Tracked Individuals In "Hearts and Minds" (Season 1, Episode 10), the Visitors appear unable to track the two individuals with suspected connections to the shuttlecraft explosion. Although Father Jack becomes a person of interest, the alibi he gives during his questioning at the Vistior-infiltrated FBI as to his whereabouts is never disputed, even though Visitor Agent Sarita Malik was personally overseeing the investigation. Likewise, Reporter Chad Decker's whereabouts seem relatively unknown to the Vistors, even after he forewarned the Visitors of the shuttle attack based on his confidential sources. Father Jack was injected with R6 at a Healing Center while being treated for his stab wounds and later appears on a Visitor computer screen implying that his location is being tracked in "Welcome to the War" (Season 1, Episode 5). Reporter Chad Decker was 'treated' at a healing center for his purported brain aneurysm and was likely injected with R6. Valerie is the only character given R6 that seems to have been successfully tracked by the Visitors. Abandonment of R6 After "Heretic's Fork" (Season 1, Episode 9), R6 seems to be entirely abandoned, as there is no mention of it or apparent use of the tracking technology in future episodes. "The Next Phase of the R6" mentioned in "Welcome to the War" (Season 1, Episode 5) is never revealed in further episodes. Scientific Inconsistencies Doctor Leah gives two potentially conflicting explanations of the mechanism of R6 In "Welcome to the War" (Season 1, Episode 5) she says the injection appears as a "saline solution" and that after injection it embeds itself into human DNA. However, in "Heretic's Fork" (Season 1, Episode 9), she says that R6 "masks itself in humans as saline", implying that the compound remains in the body after it has modified human DNA. Etymology R6 gets its name from the R6 implant in Scientology. Category:Technology